In the absence of injured club captain Tom Savage, centre Billy Twelvetrees will captain Gloucester Rugby in round three of the Heineken Cup, away to Edinburgh Rugby on Sunday, kick off 1pm.

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Savage is ruled out having picked up a knock in last Friday's game against the Leicester Tigers, so vice captain Twelvetrees will wear the skipper's armband at Murrayfield.

It's a strong line up which features all five of the players who trained with England ahead of the recent Autumn internationals, as well as the return of Sione Kalamafoni, who has been on international duty with Tonga.

Pool 6 is probably the tightest of all the Heineken Cup groups, with Perpignan leading the way on six points, Munster Rugby just behind them on five points and Edinburgh and Gloucester both on four points.

So, the two double headers over the next fortnight will go a long way towards determining the final outcome of the pool, a fact not lost upon Director of Rugby Nigel Davies when he previewed the fixture with the local media.

"We worked very hard last season to finish in the top six and qualify for the Heineken Cup because it's such a fantastic tournament.

"The guys will be energised going into this double header with Edinburgh and it's a huge opportunity for us. We're still very much in the fight in Europe, and these back to backs will very much dictate the fate of the group.

"If we can go away and get a result, then we'll be coming home next weekend with a lot of confidence. But we can't really look any further ahead than this fixture.

"Edinburgh are a good team. They'll be a little bit disappointed with their own form, but they've got real quality in their squad, virtually half the Scotland team. They've done well in Europe before and are a very capable side."